I cover a lot of different titles, with some particular attention to the previous runs of "Spider-Man 2099" and "Nova." RIP, Richard Rider. All hail, Miguel O'Hara!

Monday, October 5, 2015

Loki: Agent of Asgard #17 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

OMG, this issue is AMAZING. It really defies recapping. I'll give it my best, but you should really read it yourself.I think the best way to describe this issue is that Ewing uses all the tricks that writing about a Trickster God allows him. When the older Gods demand tribute in the form of the stories that Loki holds of the younger Gods, Loki refuses. He tells them that Gods are really just the product of stories that are so amazing that they take form. If the younger Gods are the product of the stories that humans told, the older Gods are the product of stories that the younger Gods told. As such, Loki uses his power as the last younger God to dismiss them. It's a beautiful contemplation on the importance and power of myth. Hopefully some professors uses it one day in class.But, we have one last bridge to cross until the end. Loki strips away the mask (literally) that King Loki wore, revealing the self that he could've been had said self not traveled into the past to bring about his future self sooner. Our Loki tells him that he might've screwed up the implementation, but the plan was sound. The ego-death that our Loki suffered let him put behind the anger that King Loki felt, and he's able to walk his own path. If King Loki was driven mad by everyone's failure to let him be a new him, our Loki doesn't carry that same baggage. King Loki cries with relief, and our Loki sends him to his happy ending (a.k.a. the crystal in our Loki's staff). Then, he invites Verity to go with him through a door into the future when "Secret Wars" has concluded.Seriously, it's just an amazing, amazing end to our Loki's story. As cheesy as it sounds, I really feel weirdly privileged to be here for it. It's just a testament to Ewing's story-telling abilities that he was able to tell such a tightly crafted tale for so long. Man, I'll miss this series.***** (five of five stars)